In Parc Ferme
by inky2
Summary: Sudou Kyouichi is in the wrong place. What will happen to Seiji and the rest of Emperor when Kyouichi re-evaluates his goals? (Incomplete. Not yaoi.)


In _Parc Fermé_  
an Initial D fanfic by inky  
---  
  
  
"No. Come on. ... Dammit!"  
  
Sudou Kyouichi jumped up, knocking the remote from his lap. It fell to the floor, and he stepped over it on his way to the television. He jabbed at the power button and sighed as the screen went blank. It was dumb luck. Just stupid, dumb luck and he was not upset about it.  
  
He took a deep breath. Okay. He was fine.  
  
He stepped back and then slammed the flat of his hand against the side of the television. Hell, now that was stupid.  
  
Hand cradled against his chest, he went into the kitchen. He should get some ice. He looked at the refrigerator. He looked at his telephone. There was no point in being the only idiot around this evening, was there?  
  
He picked up the phone and dialed.  
  
"Iwaki."  
  
"Hey, Seiji, can you believe that shit? The radiator."  
  
"The radiator?"  
  
"One hard landing and the radiator's damaged. Before you know it, everything's a mess after that."  
  
"Why didn't you say something, Kyouichi? I thought you just had her in for her routine exhaust replacement. You should have--"  
  
"Whoa. What are you going on about?"  
  
"Your Evo. Is it okay? What did the shop say?"  
  
"The rally, Seiji. I was talking about the rally." Kyouichi opened the refrigerator door and stood gazing at the spot where he'd thought the last beer was. "I don't know where you get your ideas from. I really don't."  
  
"Rally Indonesia?"  
  
"There any other running right now? You said you were going to watch the highlights program."  
  
"Uh. Yeah..."  
  
Kyouichi listened to the silence after Seiji's words. Was that someone else in the background?  
  
"You got company?"  
  
"Not--No, I haven't watched it yet. I put a tape in."  
  
"Come over here. I need to get a drink. All right?"  
  
"Well..."  
  
Kyouichi laughed.  
  
"See you in fifteen, Seiji. Bye."  
  
He hung up and started unbuttoning his shirt. His hand didn't hurt so badly, after all. He was okay. He went to the other room to change out of his work clothes. He'd dropped his car off at the shop on his way home from work, so he'd been in his suit far too long for a Saturday.  
  
Ten minutes later, Kyouichi grabbed a bandana and his keys off the dresser and headed out the door. At the first landing, he stopped and looked at the bandana. He didn't feel like putting it on. He shoved it in his pocket, fished around for his lighter, and descended the rest of the stairs.  
  
He had just lit his second cigarette when Seiji pulled into the lot. He jerked his head towards the empty spot where his Evo III was usually parked. Seiji parked and opened his car door. His expression was quizzical.  
  
"Bad timing, Seiji. Here." Kyouichi tossed the pack of cigarettes to him. "Might as well have one while I finish mine."  
  
"We can smoke in the car."  
  
"I've got to tell you again?"  
  
"No."  
  
"You don't need distractions when you drive. Concentration's--"  
  
"I said that I know already."  
  
"Right. Sorry."  
  
Kyouichi turned and watched the local bus pull to a stop. A woman herding two young boys stepped from the bus. A guy with a bright blue shirt and bleach-fried hair hopped off behind them. _I've got to stop dying my hair before I look that stupid._  
  
Seiji tapped his shoulder with the cigarette pack.  
  
"I don't want one right now."  
  
Kyouichi took it without looking at him. One of the boys darted into the street ahead of his mother, and she yelled. The skin between his shoulder blades felt tight. Seiji must be staring at him. If he searched long enough, maybe Seiji would find the words to defuse his mood scrawled across his back. Kyouichi waited. Sometimes his patience was rewarded with one of Seiji's rare moments of insight.  
  
"So, whose radiator was it?"  
  
"Mäkinen's."  
  
"Oh. That's harsh. Burns is out of it?"  
  
"Pretty much. Trees have a way of doing that."  
  
"You still want to do rally?"  
  
Kyouichi flicked the butt away and went to the passenger side of the car.  
  
"Do you really need to ask that?"  
  
Seiji got back into the car. "Food?" he asked as he started the engine.  
  
"Salmon teriyaki."  
  
"Got it."  
  
They were both silent for a few minutes. Seiji knew where to go. He ate with him often enough. All Kyouichi had to do was name a dish and Seiji knew his favorite place for it. He was convenient like that.  
  
While stopped at a traffic light, Seiji turned on the stereo. Kyouichi let it play through most of a repetitive chorus before reaching for the power. Seiji batted his hand away and turned it off.  
  
"Were all your bandanas in the wash?"  
  
Kyouichi smiled at that and settled back into his seat, running a hand over his hair.  
  
"No, Seiji. I don't need to wear it around you."  
  
"Yeah?" Seiji glanced at him quickly before returning his attention to the street. "That's good... as long as you remember that I'm the one with the good hair."  
  
"Couldn't forget that. We all know you're Emperor's pretty face."  
  
They laughed at that, and Kyouichi let himself relax. He entertained Seiji with an elaborate description of Carlos Sainz's Escort spinning doughnuts in the mud like a drunken ballerina.  
  
Seiji was still chuckling over his comment about Ford engineers designing tutus and toe shoes when their waitress gave them their menus. Kyouichi handed his right back to her and ordered the salmon. Seiji scanned his menu distractedly.  
  
"Ah... broccoli... I don't care." He looked up, and Kyouichi tried to suppress his smile. "Just the beef and broccoli, please."  
  
The waitress left. Seiji's eyes narrowed.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You always such an easy date?"  
  
Seiji dropped the chopsticks he was unwrapping. "Huh?"  
  
"I asked if you're always this easy."  
  
"Are you calling me a slut?"  
  
Kyouichi grinned and picked up his drink.  
  
"If you are," Seiji continued, "you're buying dinner. I refuse to be a cheap slut."  
  
"No, I wasn't insulting you. I was just wondering. Are you like this with other people? With girls?"  
  
"Like how?"  
  
"I want salmon. You go to where I like the salmon and settle for whatever."  
  
"Food's food. It's not a big deal to me, you know."  
  
"I want a beer. You come over so I can get one."  
  
"So? That's what we do."  
  
"When you go out with a girl, does she decide everything? Or is it just me?"  
  
Seiji shrugged.  
  
"I don't know. I don't think about stuff like that."  
  
"I do."  
  
"I noticed."  
  
Their food arrived. Seiji looked so grateful for the interruption that Kyouichi decided to let the topic go.  
  
"Maybe I'm over-analyzing you."  
  
"'Remember not to think too much.'"  
  
"Don't use my words against me."  
  
"Weren't your words. They were your rally instructor's."   
  
"Same thing."  
  
Seiji gestured with his chopsticks but didn't respond.  
  
"Okay. Maybe you're not easy. Maybe you're just unduly fond of broccoli."  
  
"Yeah, that's it."  
  
They finished their meal in silence. It was a bit early for them to head to Irohazaka, so Kyouichi ordered another drink. Seiji pushed a grain of rice around his plate for a moment.  
  
"There's something bothering you--besides Team Mitsubishi Ralliart's bad luck in Sumatra."  
  
"No, I'm just thinking about stuff."  
  
"You do think a lot, but--"  
  
"You should try it sometime, Seiji. Thinking."  
  
"See? That's what I'm trying to say. You think a lot, but you're not usually a jerk."  
  
"That's because I usually leave being a jerk to you."  
  
Seiji took Kyouichi's drink from him and downed the rest of it.  
  
"As you should. I do it better."  
  
"And you're proud of that."  
  
"Damn proud." Seiji stood up. "Let's go. I want to drive before I get all tense, too."  
---  
  
Seiji turned out of the parking lot and headed in the direction of Irohazaka. After a few stop signs, though, he wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing.  
  
"Kyouichi? Should I take you home?"  
  
The car behind them honked while he waited for an answer. They were at the next intersection before Kyouichi told him no. Seiji nodded his understanding and continued on.  
  
He didn't like this. He didn't actually understand anything. He kept reaching over to turn on the stereo before remembering himself and dropping his hand back on the gear shift. This sucked.  
  
He thought about threatening Kyouichi. He'd tune the radio to some bubbly, girly pop station and keep increasing the volume until Kyouichi started talking. His grip on the steering wheel tightened until he felt the leather give. That wouldn't work. He'd collapse under that torture first.  
  
How many times had Kyouichi lectured him about remaining calm while driving since his race with that damn Hachiroku? How many times had he listened to the "there are times to think and times _not_ to think" lecture? It wasn't fair that Kyouichi wouldn't take his own advice.  
  
They had reached the turn-off they usually took to their course. Seiji didn't take it.  
  
He steeled himself not to look over for Kyouichi's reaction.  
  
"I'm going to take the long way. You need some more time before we meet up with the guys."  
  
Kyouichi sighed.  
  
That was a good sign, wasn't it? Of course, maybe it just meant that Kyouichi knew better than to bitchslap the driver of a moving vehicle.  
  
Seiji rubbed his cheek. He couldn't say why, but remembering that slap reassured him. Kyouichi depended on him. He wasn't screwing this up.  
---  
  
Well, at least Seiji had finally stopped fidgeting.  
  
Kyouichi dug the bandana out of his pocket and spread it over his thigh, smoothing out the wrinkles. Seiji was almost right. He didn't want to see the guys tonight. He plucked at the rolled hem of the bandana.  
  
"There was a meeting earlier this week. At work."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Kyouichi liked his job. He really did. It paid well. He enjoyed the actual work--it came easily to him but still offered enough of a challenge to be interesting. His coworkers were not nearly as annoying as they could be. The atmosphere was casual enough that his showing up blonde for work one day was met with raised eyebrows but no angry memos. Life would be better right now if he didn't like his job so much.  
  
"They're creating a new position in my department. More responsibility, some supervisory functions, higher pay range..."  
  
"Sounds good."  
  
"I'm up for it."  
  
"Ah."  
  
Kyouichi tugged on a loose thread at the bandana's corner. He didn't say anything else.  
  
"So..." Seiji downshifted as they entered a hill climb. "So, that's not a good thing?"  
  
"If I'm offered the position, I don't want to accept it."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Exactly."  
  
He hadn't foreseen this. Refusing the promotion would have repercussions. One way or another, things were going to change irrevocably at work. No. The irreparable damage was already done. Even if the position wasn't offered to him--highly unlikely, all things considered--everything was different because he'd been forced to think about it. He had asked himself what the hell he was doing there.  
  
"You saw yesterday's footage, right?"  
  
Seiji made a startled sound. "Uh... the rally coverage?" he asked.  
  
"Yes. Did you see where all the leaders got tricked up? The standing water--"  
  
"On the seventh stage, where they crashed into the bridge."  
  
"Good, you're with me. You know how it was. None of them expected it. They couldn't avoid it, right?"  
  
Seiji frowned, but Kyouichi didn't need him to answer.  
  
"No one expected it, 'cept they all did because it's rally. They all know that shit like that is waiting for them. That's what makes it--"  
  
"Not boring?"  
  
"Worth doing," Kyouichi corrected. "Okay. So Tommi Mäkinen slams into that parapet. It's a setback, but nothing too bad, just... an expected surprise. Front end's crunched a little. The suspension... Well, it doesn't matter. The car's still running, and Tommi's doing great. He's driving smart. He's unstoppable."  
  
"Except for his radiator."  
  
"Right. Except for the radiator that forced him to retire from the rally today."  
  
"I don't get it."  
  
"Oh, come on, Seiji. You know that once you lose the radiator, your engine's toast."  
  
"I'm not stupid. Stop and get to the point."  
  
"What point? Friday's crash rearranged his front end. His radiator was shoved into a new position. That hard landing today wasn't any different than any other hard landing he's made, except the radiator was in the wrong place, so it got wiped out. See? There's no point."  
  
They were almost at Akechidaira.  
  
"Fine. I suppose it's this lack of a point, then, that's put you all on edge. That's why you're talking about Tommi Mäkinen's Evo when I thought we were talking about your job."  
  
"There's a point, but it's pointless--"  
  
Seiji snorted. "You know, you're usually much more coherent."  
  
They were at the parking lot. Seiji pulled in and parked a few spaces away from the rest of the team's Evos. He turned off the engine. Kyouichi didn't move.  
  
"We're here," Seiji said.  
  
"I see that."  
  
Seiji unbuckled his safety belt. Kyouichi still didn't move.  
  
"You okay?"  
  
"Hell, Seiji, I'm that damn radiator."  
  
The team members were milling around outside, looking curious about their delay. They wouldn't approach the car, though. They probably thought he was lecturing Seiji again. They'd want to avoid being included in that.  
  
Seiji turned towards him.  
  
"I'm not really good at metaphors, Kyouichi, so you've got to tell me how not okay you are."  
  
"I'm fine, Seiji. My check-engine light isn't on or anything." Kyouichi released his seat belt and then tied his bandana on. "I'm just in the wrong place."  
  
Kyouichi reached for Seiji's keys, which were still in the ignition. He dropped them into Seiji's hand.  
  
"Come on, let's go." He opened the door and stepped out.  
  
  
(end chapter 1)  
  


* * *

Disclaimer:  
Initial D is Shigeno Shuichi, Kodansha, to'max, OB Kikaku. These characters do not belong to inky.  
  
Thanks:  
Many thanks to Hase for the title suggestion and help with lots of general rally information. Heaps of thanks also to Sandpanther who answered my manga-continuity questions and found roads in Japan for me.  
  
Notes:  
Yes, _parc fermé_ is French for "closed park," but it is also a rally term. A _parc fermé_ is a closed area where rally cars are kept, particularly in-between stages. It is where a car is inspected and scrutinized by officials. No repairs or outside assistance are allowed in _parc fermé_, except in circumstances expressly provided for by the regulations of the rally. One such circumstance would be when a car is in such bad shape that its driving on public roads between stages is potentially hazardous to bystanders.  
  
Rally Indonesia is not usually a WRC event, but it was in 1996. That year, the Bank Utama Rally of Indonesia was both round three of the World Rally Championship and round two of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship. This fic begins on Saturday, May 11, 1996, the second day of the rally. This puts the events of this fic roughly around the time of the Tomo race in manga continuity.  
  
If you are not familiar with Kyouichi as he appears in the manga, please don't judge him based on how he acts in the beginning of this fic. He _really_ isn't normally a jerk. He's acting out of stress. 


End file.
